//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Sweet Carrots // by Epic Yarn //------------------------------// CHIFFON SWIRL “Well?” Pear Butter leans against my bedroom door, a big smile reaching across her face. “What are you making?” “I don’t know. I haven’t opened it yet.” Until Pear Butter came in, I’d been staring at the letter sitting on my bed. I should open it. I have to open it. But first, I think I’ll throw up. “What?!” Pear Butter bounces on the tips of her hooves. “Why not?” She looks how I should be feeling right now. Excited. This is exciting. So very exciting. So exciting that I really just want to run to the bathroom so my insides can come out. I push the letter away from me. “This was a mistake. I can’t…do this. I never should’ve signed up.” “Chiffon…” “I can’t. I just started at Sweet P’s. I know almost nothing. I’m going to look like an idiot.” “Now, that ain’t true.” Pear Butter nudges herself next to me, forcing me to make room on the bed. “Peppermint Patty and Pretty Praline hired you because you’re good. Really good. Praline still raves about those cupcakes and may I remind you: you gave them that custard frosting recipe.” “Yeah, after they showed me everything I did wrong.” “Only because custard is hard. Once they showed you how to do it, you’ve been making it every day. I’m pretty sure Candy Pear Cinnamon Swirl is their most popular cake now—and that was all you.” It was definitely not all me. The recipe was good when I showed them, but they helped me make it great. “That’s the only thing I’m good at. What if I get donuts or fruit tarts or peanut butter mousse or homemade bread? I’ve never done any of those things. I’m going to look like a fool!” Pear Butter flops against me. “No, you’re not. You got a month. You can figure out bread in a month.” She’s right. I kinda hate it when she’s right. Still, the feeling that my lunch won’t stay down won’t go away. “I could send it back. It’ll be like this never happened. I’ll just try again next year when I know more…stuff.” “And let everyone know you chickened out? Come on, you don’t even know what your makin’ yet.” Again, she’s right. I’m already a contestant and if I don’t show up, everyone will wonder why. This is the hardest part, right? The not knowing. I just need to open the letter. It’ll be like taking off a band-aid. I squeeze my eyes shut. “You open it for me.” Pear Butter doesn’t even fight me. She just grabs it up and tears into it. Except, she won’t read it. Instead, she passes me the small stack of papers she pulled from the envelope. PONYVILLE BAKING CONTEST Calling Ponyville’s Finest Bakers! Do you love to bake? Does the perfect cupcake make you melt like ice cream? Do you make pies in your spare time or whip up batches of cookies like no other? Test your skills against Ponyville’s finest bakers in three rounds of baking mastery. ROUND ONE: RECIPE EXCHANGE CHALLENGE ROUND TWO: MYSTERY BOX CHALLENGE ROUND THREE: SIGNATURE DISH MASTERY AND FINALE Sign up at City Hall Please bring recipe for RECIPE EXCHANGE CHALLENGE with you. Additional contest rules to follow. I swallow and flipped to the next page. PONYVILLE BAKING CONTEST ROUND ONE: RECIPE EXCHANGE Hello Ponyville Baker, Thank you for your participation. For the first round, you and another contestant will exchange recipes. The goal is to replicate or improve your competitor’s recipe to the best of your ability. The final product MUST look like your competitor’s cake/pastry/cookie/croissant/bread etc. The judges will do a blind taste test to determine the best version. Any desserts/pastry/etc. that looks different from the original will be disqualified. Winners will go on to compete in the second round. The time and date for the second round will be announced after the first round. Please read all the rules thoroughly. 1. Bakers must submit only ONE recipe. 2. DO NOT put your name on your recipe. 3. DO NOT put your name anywhere on the final product. Failure to follow this rule will get an automatic disqualification. 4. A drawing or picture of cake/pastry/etc. MUST be submitted with your recipe. Your competitor needs to know what the end product looks like in order to compete. 5. You must duplicate and/or perfect the recipe given you. Every visible detail must match. Details include, but are not limited to: texture, design, and structure. Points will be rewarded on the above categories with extra points given to the ones who replicate the given recipe the closest to the original or improves it. 6. NO EXCHANGES! 7. Competitors may not help one another. Any form of help will be given an automatic dismissal. 8. On judging day, you must bring two desserts. (1) The dessert/pastry/etc you submitted (2) YOUR COMPETING dessert/pastry/etc. DO NOT FORGET YOUR DESSERT/PASTRY/BREAD/ETC! We need both to do a blind tasting. 9. You have one month to practice and perfect your competitor’s recipe. 10. Most importantly: have fun. This is a friendly competition and a chance to meet others in Ponyville who share your passion and enjoyment for baking. Good luck! “That’s not so bad,” Pear Butter read over my shoulder. “You submitted the Candy Pear Cinnamon Swirl Cake, right? You make that one all the time.” “Well, that’s not what I’m worried about.” I was still looking at the contest rules as if I hadn’t memorized them by now. “I know I can make my own cake, but what if I can’t make theirs. Candy Pear Cinnamon Swirl is one of the first cakes I made. I can do it in my sleep. But…what if I get eclairs? Or something with a complicated design? Peppermint Patty just started me on piping. I can barely do rosettes!” “Then you’ll learn. You got a month, remember? That’s plenty of time. Now come on. I can’t wait to see what you’re gonna make.” It’s time. Pear Butter tapping her hooves together to contain her excitement. At least someone in this room has faith in me. I pushed my breath out and flipped the page. “Oh! Ummm…” “Well? What is it?” “It’s…not what I expected.” I’m actually a bit relieved…sort of. Mostly, I’m disappointed. “Can I see?” “Sure.” I hold the paper out. “Wow.” Pear Butter’s eyes get really round, then she just smiles at me. “You’re gonna win this thing for sure!” “I’m not too sure about that.” “Now come on, Chiffon. You have more self confidence that that!” “Well…it just…it’s carrot cake.” “And what’s wrong with carrot cake?” “Only everything! Nopony likes carrot cake.” “That ain’t true.” “When was the last time you ordered carrot cake at Sweet P’s?” She stares at me, her mouth a bit slack jawed. “Well…my family’s a bunch of pear farmers, so…” “So, you’re telling me you secretly love carrot cake?” “It’s not my favorite, bu—” I let out a groan. This was bad. So very bad. “Dr. Tenderheart!” Pear Butter taps my leg. “He’s orders a whole sheet of carrot cake every week!” “Yeah, for his rabbits.” “Rabbits?” “Yeah. Rabbits love carrot cake on account of the, you know, carrots.” I sit up. “And it’s not just the cake. Take a look at the design.” “Well…it’s pretty simple. Nothing wrong with that.” “Simple?! It’s not just simple. It’s completely plain! There’s nothing there! It’s just a sheet cake with powdered sugar on top. Not even cream cheese frosting! I mean, I could understand if it was a tiered wedding cake or something, but it’s just a rectangle with nothing else! It’s the most boring cake I’ve ever seen.” “Which means you’ll win. All you have to do is follow the recipe. Easy-peasy.” “Not much of a win. Anypony can make a sheet of cake.” I don’t know what’s worse: looking like a complete fool in front of everyone, or winning over something anypony with half a brain could do. “Nopony will take me seriously as a baker.” “They will if you make it the best darn carrot cake ever. Besides, you don’t have to out-bake everypony just yet. All you gotta do is make a better carrot cake than…whoever it is who makes this. You’ll have two other rounds to outshine everypony else.” Cinnamon sticks, Pear Butter is right. Again. I almost hate that. I take another look at the recipe. It’s so incredibly easy. I could improve upon it, add walnuts or something. “Fine. What do you say about carrot cake for dinner, then?” “I say, fantastic! Did you know I secretly love carrot cake?”